KU Leuven researchers have identified the biological mechanism that explains why some people experience abdominal pain when they eat certain foods. The finding paves the way for more efficient treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and other food intolerances. The study, carried out in mice and humans, was published in Nature. Up to 20% of the […]
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Molecular mechanism of cross-species transmission of primate lentiviruses
Humans are exposed continuously to the menace of viral diseases such as those caused by the Ebola virus, Zika virus and coronaviruses. Such emerging/re-emerging viral outbreaks can be triggered by cross-species viral transmission from wild animals to humans. To achieve cross-species transmission, new hosts have to be exposed to the virus from the old host. […]
Research uncovers mechanism behind epilepsy in Angelman syndrome
A key mechanism underlying neuronal dysfunction in Angelman syndrome (AS), a syndromic form of autism spectrum disorder, has—for the first time—been revealed through innovative research led by Duke-NUS Medical School and the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) under the National Neuroscience Research Institute Singapore (NNRIS)—a joint venture combining neuroscience research expertise from both organisations. The finding […]
Structural analysis reveals an unexpected mechanism for a cancer drug
Palbociclib is clinically approved for use in treating breast cancer, but according to a new study, the molecular mechanism behind the drug’s effectiveness is not what scientists had thought it was. Seth Rubin, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC Santa Cruz, said the new findings, published December 13 in Science, emerged from his […]
A mechanism capable of preserving muscle mass
Skeletal muscle is the most abundant tissue of the human body (about 40%) and it plays essential role in locomotion and vital functions (heart rate, breathing). During aging, in a large majority of individuals a loss of muscle mass, quality and strength occurs: this is called sarcopenia. This state, leading to disability and dependence, was […]
Mechanism of beta-cells involved in the development of type-1 diabetes revealed
Researchers Lorenzo Pasquali and Mireia Ramos-Rodríguez have published recently in Nature Genetics the results of a study on the mechanisms that cause an inflammatory response to trigger pancreatic beta-cell death, leading to the onset of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Pasquali is a Ramon y Cajal researcher at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), affiliated […]
Circadian mechanism may not be driver behind compound linked to obesity and diabetes
SR9009 is a compound that can lead to a wide range of health benefits in animals, including reduced risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Until now, researchers—and companies that sell the compound for human use in the form of a nutraceutical—have attributed the effects to SR9009’s role in altering the body’s circadian clock, specifically […]
The mechanism behind the pluripotency-differentiation transition
Induced pluripotent stem cells can turn into any type of cell in the body or remain in their original form. In the current edition of Molecular Cell, scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München describe how cells decide which of these two directions to take. During their research, they identified a protein and a ribonucleic acid […]
Researchers identify new mechanism to reduce inflammation
UT Southwestern researchers have identified two proteins that act as gatekeepers to dampen a potentially life-threatening immune response to chronic infection. The proteins—the transcription factors SIX1 and SIX2—activate cellular pathways required for fetal development and later switch to a new role in which they repress these pathways in adult immune system cells. The findings are […]
New mechanism of bone growth discovered
In a paper published in the journal Nature, an international research team led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden reports that bone growth in mice takes place in accordance with the same principles as when new cells are produced in blood, skin and other tissue. This contradicts the previous understanding that bone growth depends […]